


A Flustered Flamingo

by ACatWhoWrites



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Anxious Oh Sehun, Awkward Crush, Baby Gay Oh Sehun, Bird/Human Hybrids, Cat/Human Hybrids, Catboys & Catgirls, Confessions, Hybrids, M/M, Slice of Life, rated for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-12-07 14:10:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18235934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ACatWhoWrites/pseuds/ACatWhoWrites
Summary: Ask anyone, and they'll say how sweet and nice Minseok is. If that's the case, why does he stare at Sehun like he's on the menu?





	A Flustered Flamingo

**Author's Note:**

> (prompt no.53) Everyone is a few years younger in this fic, although nothing suggests their ages. Later teens and early twenties.

Maybe it’s strange, but Sehun has grown up feeling safest with cats.

He doesn’t remember first meeting the Kims, but he vaguely remembers meeting their youngest kitten, a boy barely older than Sehun. Jongin was shy and quiet , holding onto his mom’s tail while hiding behind his dad’s legs. Their parents said they should go play, and Sehun held out his hand when Jongin didn’t move. For a while, Jongin would follow him, then, gently holding onto a wing or his hand. It was cute.

Now, he’s still shy and quiet but only around new people. He’s developed a loud laugh and distinct whine that Sehun suspects came from his brother Jongdae’s influence.

Jongdae is two years older, usually quiet in an intelligent, observing sort of way—he’ll disappear to wherever and be alone for a while, returning with a relaxed smile and mischief in his eyes. Friends early on dubbed him _Scream King_ , and it fits, because he has a very impressive set of lungs. Kids the neighborhood over said they could hear him caterwauling.

He’s very kind, though. When no adults are around, he becomes the honorary caregiver and worries the most.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. The worrier is Joonmyun, second oldest. His worrying is the fretful type that makes him pet his tail so much Sehun wonders if it’ll go bald. He tries to keep everyone—namely his younger siblings, plus Sehun, a Kim by association—in order and safe and out of trouble, but it has never been easy. Where Jongdae goes, Sehun wants to go, and Jongin goes where Sehun goes, so when their group meets Baekhyun and Chanyeol, a pair of rambunctious young birds, Joonmyun starts getting headaches.

Keeping everyone in line falls to the eldest Kim, Minseok. For the longest time, he was chubby and cute and assumed to be the youngest. He took it all in stride, but once puberty struck and he met Lu Han, another cat with a vendetta against his own prettiness, he ran off the baby fat and revealed very traditional feline angles and structure. His eyes look sharper, his muscle tone leaner, his movements more purposeful and fluid.

He’s just an incredibly handsome cat. Sehun would be lying if he tried to deny it; it’s simply a fact of life. All the Kims grow up really well. Maybe it’s a cat thing; Sehun doesn’t know. Lu Han doesn’t seem to change much, though. Baekhyun and Chanyeol get taller, and Chanyeol goes through a metamorphosis like Minseok, from chubby chick to angular adult.

Compared to them, Sehun’s pretty plain. He’s always been skinny. He still is skinny. His shoulders are broader, but his color hasn’t changed since he was younger, when the drab gray feathers molted and his hair lightened to welcome a dazzling salmon pink.

He’s supposed to be pink, though, so no one should really stare at him for that.

“Hyung,” Sehun murmurs, leaning into Joonmyun’s side, “he’s glaring at me again…”

Joonmyun looks over his shoulder, mirrors Minseok’s smile, and waves. “You’re imagining things, Sehun. Minseok hyung is a really sweet person. The light’s probably just in his eyes, making him squint.”

“He always looks like he wants to kill me!”

“Maybe it’s the natural instinct of a cat,” Jongdae says with a sharp smile. “Seeing such a baby bird.”

Sehun ruffles his feathers and scowls. “I’m not a _baby bird_.” Jongdae coos at him and dodges an unamused swipe while Joonmyun consolingly scratches between his shoulder blades, an itchy spot Sehun can never seem to reach by himself. “He’s your brother, hyung. Can’t you tell him to just—I dunno—not look at me?”

“Ever?” Joonmyun asks. Jongdae guffaws loudly and starts waving to Minseok, always eager to make trouble. The oldest brother’s ears perk, and he stands before Sehun can restrain Jongdae.

“Hyung— _stop pinching me, you brat!_ —Sehunnie’s worried that you wanna eat him. Would you please stop staring like he’s on the menu?”

“I didn’t say that!”

Minseok’s ears fall back to his hair, and he looks so young and small that Sehun immediately feels bad. “I’m sorry, Sehun. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’ve not even been looking at you, though.”

“See?” Joonmyun threads soft feathers through his fingers. “It’s a misunderstanding.”

“Whatever,” Sehun mumbles. He closes his wings around himself—and Joonmyun, who’s sitting so close.

The oldest Kim cat looks at the sky. “I’ve just been wondering about the weather. It looks clear, but doesn’t it feel like rain?”

Jongdae holds still, eventually nodding. “It does, but it’s a ways off. Why?”

“I’m meeting Han tonight.”

Jongdae rolls a loud purr off his tongue. Sehun hears a dull thud and a whine; Minseok probably cuffed him. Lu Han the cat’s possessiveness of Minseok is easy material to tease them with.

It’s kind of sweet how close the brothers are with one another, though. It must be a cat thing. Sehun’s never really been like that with his own family. They help one another with their wings, because preening takes a long time, and some birds have torn rotator cuffs or slipped a disc in their spine trying to reach their humeral or tertial feathers. It’s more like a duty than a bonding activity, though.

In his feathery cocoon, Sehun wraps his arms around his knees and hunkers down with a sigh. Why is he so awkward? So Minseok wasn’t staring at him earlier. Maybe he’s never stared at him, always looking behind or even _through_ Sehun. He’s the best friend of the youngest brother. Another brat following around the big kids and trying to be cool to get validation and attention.

Something touches his back, blunt nails raking down his spine. He sees a hand tugging Joonmyun’s tail, and the cat leaves Sehun’s wings like they’re a tent. Jongin slips inside, sitting close and wearing a concerned frown. He’s sweaty from lying in the sun, but Sehun doesn’t really mind. He’s sweaty, too. It’s stuffy under his wings; his black feathers absorb the sun and heat.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just making an idiot of myself, like usual.” Jongin shifts so they’re shoulder to shoulder. Sehun appreciates it. He’s always been more touchy than the average bird, but growing up with a social flock and a tight-knit clowder of cats may have something to do with it. 

Jongin purrs softly. He prompts Sehun when he’s not immediately forthcoming. “What happened?”

“Just the usual making something out of nothing. Acting like a fucking nut. I thought your brother was staring at me, but he wasn’t even looking at me at all, so I probably seem super paranoid and weird.”

“I can’t say anything about being paranoid, but you are kind of weird.”

Sehun sighs. He should be happy that it’s nothing. He’s just imagining things, but why does it always have to be about Minseok? For as long as he can remember, probably since he was a little flaminglet, he’s wanted attention, and attention from older people is somehow more validating. That’s how it feels when he’s around Minseok, at least. 

“Wouldn’t you be happy if he was staring, though?” Jongin asks. “You’ve kind of been in love with him since you were a chick.”

Has he? Sehun frowns and wonders.

It’s possible, he supposes, that there’s some sort of hero worship or something that makes him so attached to the eldest Kim. Back when his feathers finally became pink, he’d been having a crisis and asked Minseok if his feelings for other boys were okay. Minseok said yes, and since then the light around him has always been a bit more pink to Sehun.

In the open air, Jongdae’s egging his older brothers on in a push-up contest for some reason, purposely counting wrong to mess them up and laughing when they threaten him.

Jongin nudges their shoulders together. “You gonna be okay?”

“Probably. I’m sure I’ll do something more embarrassing and forget all about this.”

He does. Hanging out at the Kim house with Jongin, Sehun thinks no one else is home to witness his mindless dancing around the kitchen island, waiting for a shrimp ring to thaw in the microwave. His wing catches the corner of an envelope in the pile of mail on the counter, sending it all flying, and he nearly bangs someone’s head with his chin when they bend for the envelopes and magazines at the same time.

Minseok—because of course it’d be him—laughs and touches his arm. “You alright? I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine.” He can stop there, get his shrimp, go rejoin Jongin upstairs. “I was just waiting for my shrimp.” No damage done. Stop talking, Sehun. “I thought no one else was home, and we were hungry, so Jongin said to get the shrimp, and what’s there to do when waiting for a microwave? So I was just goofing around and didn’t mean to knock the mail down. I hope it’s nothing really important. I didn’t see any packages, at least—” His face is pinker than his feathers; he can feel it. Why is he so awkward around boys? People in general, but boys in particular? Launch him into the sun, and put him out of his misery, please. “I’m sorry,” he finishes lamely. “I’m being weird, but I promise it’s because I’m nervous; I’m not usually like this!”

The cat smiles and lifts his hands placatingly. “It’s alright, Sehunnie. I snuck up on you; it’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

Sehun picks at his feathers nervously. He doesn’t mean to pull any out and flinches when a live feather pulls from his flesh. It makes him pause and tuck his hands under his armpits, instead.

He should just abandon the shrimp and escape. Jongin will understand. He’ll tease him and make him feel even more ridiculous, but then he’ll cuddle close and pet his feathers, and Sehun will calm down, back to his average functionality.

Why isn’t Minseok leaving, though? He has a bottle of water in his hand, now, and the mail is picked up. He’s just kind of hovering between Sehun and the doorway, so if Sehun wants to leave, he has to slip passed Minseok or purposely walk around the island and obviously avoid him.

“Well, as long as we’re being honest, can I confess something, too?”

Sehun shrugs.

Then he hears a quiet rumble, like a car idling outside, but it’s closer and louder when Minseok opens his mouth again to speak.

He’s purring.

Sehun knows that cats purr for a variety of reasons. Usually, it’s a happy sound; they’re content and comfortable. Joonmyun purrs while listening to music and browsing photos he’s taken. Sometimes, it’s a relaxing sound; they’re trying to soothe someone’s distress. Jongdae purrs when Sehun’s freaking out about his feelings. Other times, it’s an anxious sound; they’re trying to relax themselves. Jongin purrs before going on stage.

He can remember a handful of times when he’s heard Minseok purr, and they were happy or soothing purrs for his younger brothers.

Neither really apply to walking in on your little brother’s friend dancing like an idiot in the kitchen and throwing mail to the floor.

The microwave stops whirring and beeps. His shrimp are ready. It feels like it’d be rude to get food when almost having a sort-of conversation. 

“Are you okay, hyung? You’re purring.”

It stops abruptly. Sehun kind of misses it; he likes cat purrs. “I’m okay. A little nervous, is all.” He grins. “I’m not used to expressing my feelings like this. With words.” 

Probably the best thing about cats, after their purrs, is their penchant for physical affection and expression. Happy? Hugs. Sad? Cuddles. Mad? Punches. No matter who it is, there’s a handshake or a hug or a shoulder touch or brush of a tail. 

Birds rely more on words.

Words are hard. Sehun can empathize.

“I really like you, Sehun. I have for a while, but it’s...hard. I thought you wouldn’t like me back or just didn’t like me as much as when you were little, when you and Jongin would follow me around like ducklings.” His ears flip forward for a moment; he looks at the microwave. It beeps again. “I’m really jealous of how relaxed you are around my brothers. How comfortable you are with their attention.” He half-smiles, suddenly pink-cheeked. “I’m sorry again for scaring you by staring. I really wasn’t looking at you but rather glaring at my brothers. They’ve known about my crush for a while and enjoy being dicks.”

That explains a lot, if it’s true.

Sehun’s wings close around his shoulders, hanging like a cape. “You’re being honest, right? You’re not just teasing me because…” he lowers his voice, “you know I like boys?”

“I would never do that. Somewhere along the way, I started seeing you more like a handsome grown adult rather than the cute chick we kind of adopted as our fifth sibling.” He shrugs and laughs self-consciously. “I dunno when it happened, but it’s how I feel, now. And I’m sorry for telling you so suddenly. It’s just, like, if I didn’t say it now I don’t know if I ever would.”

Just for something to do so he’d not pull out his own feathers, Sehun finally goes to the microwave and pulls out the shrimp. Its smell immediately permeates the room, and usually Sehun would love it, but it kind of makes him sick to his stomach.

“Jongin said I’ve been in love with you for a long time. I think I have, but I just don’t know? I haven’t—like, _been_ in love to know? I think I liked Baekhyun hyung for a while, and I’m not even sure why…”

A muffled scoff draws their attention. Sehun sees the edge of a cell phone. Minseok sees his youngest brother’s tail swaying merrily as he spies on them and hisses his name. They catch a glimpse of a tail three times its usual size as its owner runs for the stairs.

He has nothing to compare it to, but this is very likely the most awkward confession Sehun has ever heard. They know they like each other, but what next?

Sehun shrugs and smooths his feathers, looking at Minseok’s feet. His long tail is hanging behind him, the tip barely ticking back and forth and shaking every couple seconds. “So what’re we supposed to do? Go on a date or something?”

“I’d like to, yes. We can pick a place and stuff later, if you want.”

Well, that was easier than he thought.

They’ve known each other for years, watching each other grow and learn and become who they are now. First and foremost, they’re friends.

So it’s completely acceptable and welcome for Sehun to enter Minseok’s personal bubble, wrap his arms around him, and duck his head close. Minseok’s arms slip under his and behind his back, beneath his wings. The perfect way to hug any bird. It’s uncomfortable to constrict the wings, which Chanyeol still doesn’t understand, being a clingy bird himself.

Sehun feels Minseok lift his head back to perch his chin on Sehun’s shoulder. He kind of rubs his cheek against Sehun’s hair, and Sehun holds him tighter. It feels nice, like he’s not just some big, gangly bird clinging to something. Somehow, it feels more like he’s being cradled and enveloped.

Man, he wishes he could purr. His motor would be rumbling even louder than Minseok’s.

Upstairs, Jongin doesn’t share the furtive video right away but sends a screenshot to his brothers and their immediate friends. He adds heart emojis and stickers of blush to Sehun’s already flushed cheeks. It’s a nice photo, though. A flustered flamingo and a confident cat sharing soft smiles and promises.

**Author's Note:**

> No one's appearance or breed is really mentioned, but the Kim bros are Somalis/Abyssinians. (Somali cats are essentially long-haired Abyssinians.) Sehun is a Caribbean/American flamingo (the pinkest of the six flamingo breeds). Chanyeol is a cockatiel. Baekhyun is a sun conure. Lu Han is an Oriental Shorthair. They're not mentioned at all, unfortunately, but in this au Kyungsoo is a crow, Yixing is a La Perm, Tao is a Siamese, and Yifan is a turkey.


End file.
